BALTIMORE — Peter Franchot, who deferred seeking a fifth four-year term as state comptroller to run for governor this year, conceded in the Democratic primary on Friday as results showed he had little chance of catching Wes Moore and Tom Perez in the ongoing vote count.
Franchot, 74, of Takoma Park, won about 20% of the in-person votes in the crowded nine-candidate race, and the start of mail-in ballot counting on Thursday showed him gaining about 1% more, with thousands of ballots yet to be counted.
But with Moore, a former nonprofit leader, on top with 35% and Perez, a former U.S. Labor secretary, at 28%, Franchot acknowledged he would not win.
